There’s no question that Android is far and away the No. 1 mobile operating system in China but that might not be as good for Google as you might think. The reason is that so many ultra-cheap Chinese Android vendors are cranking out handsets that simply use Android as a base platform but that may not use any of the revenue-generating apps and services that Google relies on. Case in point: Enders Analysis analyst Benedict Evans has posted a chart on his Twitter account that uses data from the Umeng Analytics Platform to show that Chinese Android users only used Google Play for downloading 5.6% of all mobile apps on their devices. The vast majority of Android apps downloaded in China — a full 72.6%, Umeng found — are from third-party app stores.
Android is huge in China but it’s also out of Google’s control
Published Oct 3rd, 2013 11:59PM EDT
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Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.
